This chicken stew recipe is packed with fantastic flavor and health benefits, thanks to the butternut squash and quinoa. Comfort in a bowl! 330 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
I was patting myself on the back for this hearty chicken stew recipe all day long. Tasty? Oh my, yes. Healthy? You better believe it. Aroma? I'd say it gets a "15" on a scale of 1 to 10. This recipe formed in my head slowly, starting with some chicken thighs sitting in the fridge. Then I picked up a butternut squash at the grocery store, with the thought of making soup. Instead, I cubed and steamed the squash, mashing half of it to help thicken the stew. In went the quinoa, one of my favorite grains, for an extra punch of protein and fiber. The topper was a kick of briny flavor from some kalamata olives and a burst of freshness from a handful of chopped parsley.
While low in calories and fat, a bowlful of this chicken stew recipe easily satisfied my craving for comfort food. Also, butternut squash is high in Vitamins A and C, as well as fiber, so I knew I was getting a well-rounded meal to keep my body healthy for my daily workouts. One can not keep up with a high-energy "power pump" instructor without some decent fuel from which to draw. Seriously, this woman makes the Energizer bunny look like a total slacker. And she has about a dozen grandkids! Inspirational? Yeah, I'd say so.
This stew can be made in advance, but you may need to add a little more chicken broth before serving because the quinoa will expand as it sits. Either way, the flavors and textures are fantastic and it is sure to become a cold-weather favorite.
Printable Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded & chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- â…” cup uncooked quinoa
- Âľ cup pitted & quartered kalamata olives
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ÂĽ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
- Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
- Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
- Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
- Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the salt, minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
- To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
- Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
- Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Other healthy stew recipes:
Left to right: Italian Split Pea Stew with Cauliflower, Spiced Mushroom, Chickpea & Tomato Stew, and Curry Red Lentil Stew with Tomatoes
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Monna Hilton
Just as I was looking for a new soup recipe for the upcoming Fall andvWinter, there it was. I can't wait to try it. Love all of the ingredients and just hope I can find the Quinoa . Have never used it before, but anxious to try this new eating adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Tippy Harper
Can this be made using a slow cooker?
BeeDreams
You absolutely could, I do! I don't fry off anything- literally chuck it all in on high for 3-4 hours. You may need to add more water/stock.
Carolyn
Am about to make this! Very much looking forward to having this even though it is hot hot hot outside. My office at work is freezing, and this will be heavenly.
Natalia
Perfect. Cooked this dish last night, every one loved it. Was embarrassed to accept all the compliments when all i did was following the recipe exactly as it is. I'm a fan now 🙂
4virtu
Happy Tasty Tuesday! We loved this recipe so much and it is one of our picks for the Food Holidays of September on 4virtu.com! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kellie
This looks delicious! It's definitely going on my menu for this week. 🙂
Sue Schu
I just made this today and substituted tempeh for chicken and added kale and TVP(textured vegetable protein). It was delicious. The tempeh totally absorbed the flavors. I cooked it for 4+ hours. Even the carnivore loved it! ALso eliminated oil and used vegetable stock and one chicken bullion.
Jennifer
Made the soup & love it! Just wondering how many calories/serving this is?? I'm on a diet and tracking calories. Thanks!
BeeDreams
Hiya! According to my calorie counter it's 328 per serve. I add zucchini though and that adds about 80 calories, but I take the pumpkin down from 1.5 pounds (680g) to 500g.
Anyhoo, around the above per serve, so good!
BeeDreams
Sorry, forgot to mention I use one chicken breast only. Not thigh and not that much.
Brian J
Um... I'm kinda new at cooking. I wish you would have included instructions on how to steam the squash. Otherwise, it sounds good.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Brian, no problem! To steam the squash, place the pieces in a steamer basket/insert set over boiling water (the water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket/insert). You should use about 1 1/2 inches of water. Cover the pot and steam according to the recipe instructions. Check on the water partway through to make sure there's still enough (you don't want to scald the bottom of the pot) and add more hot water, if necessary. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
BeeDreams
Just to throw a spanner in, I omit this step and add the pumpkin/squash when I add the quinoa as when cut into this sized cubes, it literally doesn't need any more than the 15mins it takes to cook the quinoa.
Misty M.
I made this, but I didn't include olives. I boiled tomatillos with the chicken and added them blended up to the finished soup. Didn't use parsley or oregano. I used garlic and cilantro. It was THE BOMB!!!!!!